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St Merryn, Treyarnon Headland c1955
St Merryn, Treyarnon Headland c1955 Ref: S461008
Memories of St Merryn, Treyarnon Headland
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Year: 1940s
Evacuation To St Merryn New Added 6 days ago
My sister and I were evacuated to St Merryn in 1940. I was aged 6 and my sister aged 11. We lived in Bermondsey, London. I shall always remember our first night in St Merryn. We were sitting in the School Hall,and were the last to be allocated. This was because my sister had been told by my mother, that we were not to be parted. Eventually a woman with two children approached us, and said we were to go with her. We didn't go very far, and were escorted up some steps and into a very dark house. The lady then lit a paraffin lamp, and I can remember asking her if it was a farm, and they all laughed. We were billeted at 2 Towan Cottages, or Villas, with a Mr and Mrs Ellery, who had two children slightly older than us, a boy whose name was Alan, and a girl called Peggy. The house was something of a surprise to us as there was no electricity, no gas, and no running water. The latter had to be drawn up from the pump at the front of the cottages. Mrs Ellery used to cook the loveliest pasties, and Mr Ellery used to work nights at one of the airfields, I thought he said Treginigar, but it could have been St Merryn. I cannot recall the exact dates we were with the Ellerys, but it must have been winter,as there were always icicles on the pump. I do remember that Mr Ellery was the Churchwarden,and we used to go to the church every day, and three times on Sundays. My sister June and Peggy used to change the flowers, whilst Alan and me used to place all the hymn books in the slots, and straighten up the hassocks, dusting the pews at the same time. I can remember vividly the shooting down of a German aircraft, a Dornier I think, one evening just at dusk. We were playing out the front of the house when this aircraft came over very low, we could see the occupants looking around. Then we could see the tracer bullets striking it, going in through the nose, then it beagn to smoke, and crashed into the hillside some distance away ,it could be seen burniing on the ground. We were all running around and cheering. On another occasion, we were in bed, and could hear this aircraft droning around and around, we looked out of the window, and saw that it was on fire. We watched it getting lower and lower, until it crashed, not too far away. We could hear explosions and popping of ammunition all night. The next day we heard that it had crashed into a field not too far away. We walked the short distance,and could see it in the field, still smoking. On the way down it had knocked the roof off a cottage, next to the field. We could still hear the ammunition exploding,a nd the police and army were there, keeping everyone back. It was unfortunately one of 'Ours', a Lockheed Hudson, belonging to Coastal Command, and we heard that the crew had perished in the crash. Very sad. We were still billeted with Mr and Mrs Ellery on May Day. We walked into Padstow, and were introduced to the Hobby Horse, which frightened the life out of us, as Mrs Elllery said that if you go under the skirt, you will never come out. I think they had a good laugh at us! Shortly after that we were moved to another family. This time it was in a lovely large house called Tamerisk, adjacent to Treyarnon Bay. This was being rented by a Della Maizes, and her father 'Pop', who in fact lived in Cheam, Surrey. Her husband Ben owned a large store that sold all kinds of tools and things, a hardware store, as they used to be called. He had a car,a nd used to visit at weekends. He used to drive all the way with his tin helmet on, we thought that was very funny. Tamerisk was a large house, divided into two, we had one half, and Canadian airmen had the other half. Sometimes Auntie Della used to have them in for a drink and a bit of a party, they were great men, very friendly, and always had some memento or badge to give me. They all carried sidearms, and used to show me how to hold and point them, to the great displeasure of Aunt Della. Not loaded of course. I'm not too sure if Uncle Ben was aware of these gatherings, but I'm sure they were only to help the war effort. Aunt Della was a really smart young lady, and used to wear slacks, wedge heels and a turban, the smart set of the day. My sister and I had the whole of Treyarnon Bay and Constantine Bay virtually to ourselves most days. Della had an Irish Red Setter called Roddy, and we used to take him to the beach and he loved the water. I spent most of my time gazing into the rock pool on Treyarnon, wondering at the sea life,a nd quartz on the side. Unfortunately a War Office Directive brought to an end this idyllic existence. It was deemed that all women and girls either had to join the Land Army, or work in the munitions factories - unless they were pregnant. Yes, Aunt Della went and got pregnant. They went back home to Cheam (Morden), and my sister and I returned home to Bermondsey - just in time for the Blitz to start. My father was in the army, and I think that my mother, who also had a baby, aged one, was happy to have us all back in the same shelter. At least if we went, we would all go together. As it happened, we didn't, and we all lived happily ever after. But I have never quite got Cornwall out of my heart. My sister used to holiday at Treyarnon, and loved it, but I have never been back, although I would dearly love to. I have tried to trace the Ellerys but to no avail. It seems that there were no records kept of which evacuees went where, and for how long. I can remember going to the school in St Merryn, but they haven't any records either. Stil,l my memories are priceless, and are as fresh today as they were in 1940. Last edited: 06/01/2009 10:50 by Bill Killick |
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Year: 1930s
Birth
I was born on 8 October 1939 in a house called Trewalder, at Treyarnon Bay. The house belonged to Nan and Sam Odhams and they persuaded my mother to leave London - everyone was rushing anywhere and every place once war was declared on 3 September. My father was in the TA and had already been called up. So I announced my intentions on the eve of the 7th. The others were all out at the time - but by the time they returned the midwife had arrived. I'm told that every time my mother groaned they all had another gin and shouted "cheers". Sir Peter Horlick boiled the water and the midwife was most impressed "I've never had a lord to boil me water" she said - or so I'm told. My mother stayed for about a month and then took me to my grandmother in Saltdean, Sussex ... by the sea again. Is that why I love water and particularly the crashing of waves? I was to have been called Simon if a boy and Marion if a girl ... instead my mother chose Merrin, in remembrance of the parish where I'd been born. Posted: 27/10/2007 05:42 by First Name Last Name |
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Year: 1955
My Years In St Merryn At Towan Farm House
My father was in the Fleet Air Arm during the war and in about 1949 he was stationed at the camp in St Merryn, my parents lived at Towan Farm House where I was brought back to from the hospital after I was born at Redruth hospital. My maiden name was Wells. The couple that owned the farm was called Mr and Mrs Old, they did not have any children of their own. I was calling them auntie and uncle as we had become very close, so much so that when my dad left the Navy and got a job on British Rail at Padstow and then a council house up at Trevithick, I stayed most of my time at the farm with auntie and uncle visiting their friends and relatives with them and going to market with them in the school holidays. I went St Merryn School and three years later my brother joined me but I will never forget his first day, because he thought he was going home for dinner and was waiting at the school gates for his mummy to arrive, when Charlie Harvey came out and picked David up to carry him inside screaming and kicking to have his dinner and then old Charlie Harvey brought me down off the top table to sit with him. Those days were the happiest of my life. At Christmas and in the summer we would come up to Greenford, Middlesex to visit our grandparents then we would be taken up to London so I thought I had the best of both worlds, but I always loved it when we got on the train at Waterloo and I knew I was going home to Cornwall. But all that changed when the station was closed at Padstow and my parents decided to move up to Hayes, Middlesex. We moved in March 1960 but the day after we broke up from school mum and dad would put me on the train for Padstow while it was still open and I would stay for the whole six weeks not leaving till the day before I was due back to school. I still met up with my friend Pamela Bennett. In 1962 auntie and uncle sold the farm and had a bungalow built on some land that belonged to them. They called it Higher Towan, Towan. Auntie Lilly died in 1963, uncle Ernest remarried but he died in 1968 and the bungalow is now the doctors. I will always regard Cornwall and St Merryn as my home. I have been back a few times, in fact when my children where small we used to spend our holidays down there and I know it sounds silly but every time I come away I cry. The last time I was down there was in 1990 when I took my second husband down and we visited Edward Prynn who was our neighbour at Trevithick. I would love to know what happened to Pamela Bennett we lost touch years ago. Last edited: 28/03/2007 15:52 by Linda Neary |
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Year: 1967
Summer Of ''67 A memory of Constantine Bay, Cornwall I won the Cornish longboard championships at Constantine Bay in 1967. I was the profesional lifeguard at Treyarnon Bay in 1967 and 1968. Friendships established then and still true include Anhtony Richards, Robert Ede, David Powell, Peter Andrews, Rick Stein, Steve Bond, Andrew Blight, Rip Kirby, John Ball, John Jewell, Mike Hannaford and others. Brilliant years never to be experienced again Last edited: 15/11/2008 17:32 by Stuart Charles |
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Year: 1951
My Favourite Place In The World! A memory of Trevone, Cornwall New Added 4 days ago I was fortunate enough to live at Trevone and then Padstow from 1951 - 1964, living at Craig-y-Mor which is the white house with the big balcony right down on the bay. I have very happy memories of my childhood there, looking in the rock pools at Rocky Beach and walking to Harlyn Bay with a picnic ... Watching the visitors on the beach all run for cover if there was a shower of rain ... Collecting car numbers from the car park during the summer holidays ... Having spent my adult life in Hampshire I retired (early) back to Cornwall with my partner and am now living in St Columb Major. Trevone still has the same attraction for me as it did all those years ago ... sadly Padstow does not!! Last edited: 05/01/2009 09:03 |
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